Love At First Bite
by derangedperson
Summary: A chance meeting in Sanji's kitchen late at night turns into something more. A SaNa songfic of sorts.


The midnight air filled Sanji's lungs as he stood outside his kitchen. The stars glistened over the ocean like tiny diamonds, rising and falling with the waves. As Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, he smiled. It was nights like these that made him happy that he joined the Straw Hat Pirates. Soon, he would find the All Blue and lay claim to the title of the greatest chef in the world. If anything, he hoped that once Luffy found the One Piece, they would continue to have adventures together. He had grown so used to the boisterous antics on board the Thousand Sunny that returning to a quiet, normal life seemed foreign and boring to him. Not that his life had been quiet and normal to begin with, but that was another matter entirely.

Sanji took a small puff and walked back into the kitchen to clean things up from that night's dinner. As he gathered the dishes and filled the sink with water, he heard the door close. Turning around, he saw Nami standing in the doorway, smiling.

"Oh, Nami-san!" Sanji cried, hearts floating from his eyes. "To what do I owe this visit from the most beautiful woman on the ocean?"

Nami grinned and answered, "You don't owe anything, Sanji. I'm just a little hungry."

Sanji dropped the dishes he had collected on the counter and raced to Nami's side, kneeling and taking her hand. "I will do whatever it takes to settle your craving, my love!" Nami's only response was a sweet, "Thank you, Sanji!"

The cook's heart began to flutter. A late-night visit to the kitchen was a common occurrence--nine times out of ten, it was Luffy, desperate to satisfy his craving for meat. But in light of the events that had taken place a month earlier, Sanji was a lot more level-headed about Luffy's presence in his kitchen. He seemed to levitate and float through the air as he sailed to the fridge and pulled out two plates of chocolate cheesecake.

As he set the plates on the table, he asked with lovestruck giddiness, "Will this suffice, my dear?"

"Yeah, this should be fine."

Sanji, ever the gentleman, pulled out Nami's chair and let her take her seat. When she was seated, he pushed her chair in and sat down across from her. The whole time, she never took her eyes off the sink, as his focus had been entirely on her from the moment she walked in the door. "Sanji..."

Hearts danced over his head as he asked, "Yes, my love?"

"You might wanna turn the faucet off now."

Snapping back to reality, Sanji quickly ran to the sink and turned the faucet off. Thankfully Nami had caught it right before the water overflowed, so there was nothing to worry about. He put the dirty dishes into the water to let them soak and took his seat again.

"You're lucky I caught that, you know," Nami said.

"I know, Nami-san. You're always keeping an eye out for things like that."

Nami smiled and took a bite of her cheesecake. "Sanji...can we talk?"

"We can talk anytime you want, Nami-san," he answered as he picked up a forkful of cake. "What's on your mind?"

Nami said, "I just wanted to see how you were doing, considering what happened."

"I'm doing great, considering," he answered with a knowing gaze.

Nami quickly realized her mistake and said, "Sanji, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

He said, "I appreciate your concern, Nami-san, but that's something I would like to forget even happened."

"I don't blame you. I'm sorry for even bringing it up."

Sanji smiled and replied, "That's okay." Nami took another bite of cake, relieved that the conversation was about to go in a lighter direction. She started the ball rolling with a joyful, "This cake is delicious!"

"Of course it is," Sanji replied. "Everyone knows I don't make bad food." He took a forkful of his cake and extended it to Nami, saying, "Would you like to prove my theory?"

Nami grinned and said, "It's the same cake as mine, Sanji."

"Come on," he asked, dangling the fork in front of her. Nami sighed and said, "Okay. As long as you try some of mine." She took a forkful of her cake and extended it to Sanji.

"That's a fair trade." They stuck their forks in each other's mouths and savored the taste of chocolate on their tongues. Nami smiled and said, "You're right, Sanji. You _don't_ make bad food."

He smiled broadly and replied, "I told you." They finished their cheesecake in the same fashion, Nami feeding hers to Sanji and he doing the same with his. When they finished, Sanji took the dishes to the sink and said, "Thanks, Nami."

"No problem." As she turned to leave, she heard the scratching of a record player. Soft music lilted from the speakers as Sanji extended his hand. "Do you want to dance?" he asked.

Nami's response was to take his hand and pull herself close to him. Sanji smiled and put his free hand around her hips as they gently swayed to the music. His movements were graceful and gentle, a heartfelt smile spread across his face. Nami sighed contentedly and put her head on his chest, listening to the music and his soft whispering of the song's lyrics. Sanji hugged Nami tight as the music swelled and whispered the chorus into her ear:

_And where was I before the day that I first saw your lovely face?  
Now I see it every day...and I know...  
__That I am...I am...I am...the luckiest._

As the record continued, their movements slowed from a dance to a gentle sway, and finally, to the two of them gently rocking back and forth in an embrace. Sanji put his head on Nami's shoulder, smiling as he closed his eyes. All he could feel was the rocking of their bodies ever so slightly as the music continued. He leaned back and stared into Nami's eyes, enjoying the sight of her smiling face. When the song ended, it was all he could do to not break the embrace. Unfortunately, he had to.

Nami ran her fingers through her hair and said, "That song was beautiful, Sanji."

"It's one of my favorites," he replied.

"But," Nami said with a smile, "there's just one little inaccuracy."

Puzzled, he asked, "What's that?"

She took his hands and said, "I'm not the only one who's the luckiest. We all are." Nami gave him a big hug and said, "We love you."

Sanji gently kissed the top of her head. "I know."

Nami broke the embrace and put her hand under his chin. Expecting her to slap him, Sanji braced for the blow, but was caught off guard when she kissed him on the cheek. Sanji put his hand to his face and said, "Thank you, Nami-san."

Nami gave him another hug. "You're welcome." Sanji walked her to the kitchen door and opened it for her, saying, "I hope you're full."

"I am." She caressed the side of his face and whispered, "Goodnight, Sanji."

He smiled and replied, "Goodnight, Nami." As he watched her leave, he sat down and lit a cigarette, still whispering the chorus of the song to himself. As he sang the final line, he couldn't help but get a lump in his throat. Tonight, Sanji truly _was _the luckiest.

* * *

The Luckiest lyrics copyright 2001 by Ben Folds.


End file.
